Cool Corporate dot COM

Business News & Info From A New Level Of Cool

About The Blog

Cool Corporate dot COM takes a look at the business world from the perspective of a young manager in the making. It offers posts, articles, and news clippings that cater to that young manager, but without being overly basic, so that it is still relevant to the seasoned business professional.

About Me

The Jazzy Cool One (aka, some guy named J.C. Payne), is a news producer with a news/talk radio station by day, and a passionate
cheerleader for business and free enterprise the rest of the time.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

What Is Left To Learn From 'The Apprentice?'

A question is asked in this article announcing the winner of 'The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,' wondering if there is really anything left to be learned about business from this brand of reality TV shows, er, show (Stewart season one will be the one and only, while Donald Trump's original 'The Apprentice' gets a change of venue, filming season 5 in Los Angeles). If the producers go to all the trouble to cast mavericks, wild cards, and crazy people who have found a way to seemingly succeed in business, why are the eventual winners always straight-laced and boring text-book business types?

Maybe that is the lesson, and it just needs to be reinforced over and over . . .

Monday, December 19, 2005

It's A Launch . . . Re-Launch . . .

Cool Corporate dot COM is officially re-launched! While the site is not really finished (in fact, I might make a minor template change soon), it is functional, and ready to get some views.

You know the premise. It's a website/weblog/wanna-be online magazine that takes a look at the business world from the perspective of a young manager trying to make it in a world where the information is scarce and sometimes guarded about how to get things initiated. Here, you will find a variety of posts, articles, and news clippings that cater to that young manager, but without being overly basic that it bores the seasoned business professional.

Monday, December 12, 2005

The Comeback Of The Neck Tie

It not just the pop culture of the 80's that is in vogue. The centuries old fashion staple of the neck tie, once shunned by those caught up in the hype of the 90's new economy, and is coming back in style.

Old Business men are wearing them, looking like business men again. Young business men are wearing them, looking like business men for the first time.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel, co-creator of the anti-establishment 'Man Show,' has found that ratings for his late night talk show have seen a boon since he started dressing more business like. Even the youth dominated sports world is being forced to review its style, with college girls being scolded for wearing flip-flops for their official photographs with the President and the NBA enacting a dress code mandating business casual attire for fear that the Hip-Hip fashion is scaring a few of the starched collar corporate sponsors.

The trend away from casual and back to professional has not been without controversy. The backlash comes from the young professionals, who are now being pushed into the labor force more resembles both in dress and in demeanor the more traditional workplace of years past.

While the relaxed managerial styles and flexible rules are here to stay--and increasing necessary to deal with the expectations now demanded by young generations who don’t realizes they have not necessarily earned them--the hard line business fashions are making a comeback. And so is the business of business fashions.

Retail sales of neckties peaked at $1.3 billion in the early 90’s, only to drop to about $750 million near the beginning of the new millennium, when casual became the new norm. Now, regular ties, novelty ties, designer label ties and even the always teased but never dead bow ties will bring an estimated $1.1 billion in sales this year. With more ties sold come the sale of more suits, shirts, socks, belts, shoes, and other accessories, putting a wide smile on the faces of many of the sale people who wait diligently at a men’s wear store near you.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Articles For Distribution Available Here

Are you looking for article content for your business or personal development online magazine or newsletter? Long form articles are now available here at Cool Corporate dot COM.

Look for a prettier new interface to come, but for now, just take a look at the list in the menu column to the right. There are currently two article listed for distribution. Please follow the copyright information, and a courtesy email alerting me of its use is appreciated.

How Blogging May Be Harmful To Your Career

Blogging is one of the latest online crazes. Just about anyone with access as a basic knowledge of navigating a web browser can set one up in mere moments. I myself have two active blogs of my own (one for personal thoughts and expression, the other one being this one used for my personal business pursuits) and I manage a blog for my radio station crew in my day job.

Starting with the basics, a blog is slang for a Web log, which is a website with diary-like entries about anything that a person could thing of: personal life issues, hobbies, the progression of a project, and increasingly, the ins and outs of a company's dealing.

The line usually gets blurred when one takes their personal blog and starts to speak negatively about their work life or the company they work for. Under the myth of 'internet anonymity,' a person can get bold in just what they say, and not think about just who could be reading their exploits. These are still private citizens observing free speech and expression, but people easily find themselves stepping into grey areas of just what type of information about their profession and their professional lives should be out there for display to the general public.

Or they do something worse. They talk about a private or alternative lifestyle they lead, and link some of their exploits to their companies or professional organizations, possibly on purpose, that the more professional types would rather not have to associate with. This may not be fair, but it is what it is.

People are now having to deal with the consequences of a little internet fame. Many cases are occurring of firings and IT personnel are now finding themselves spending more time with the HR personnel as they add blogging policies to every growing list of no-no's for office computer systems.

Should you blog? If you have a passion for a subject, or just want to show your friends just how crazy your life is, then go for it. Check out you company handbook or a very understanding HR person and see if your company has a policy in place that covers what you can discuss about it, and if they have a specific blog policy. If you find you are in the clear, my suggestion is that you always take a half of second to consider digression, don't discuss negative or confidential information about your company or the products or services they provide. And never spend time on the clock updating info to your blog.